The indubitable Matthew Thurber was one of yesterday’s featured artists, and there’s no better excuse for us to badger him into answering a few questions about his existence so that’s exactly what we did. But first some background: Besides being the man behind 1-800-Mice and one-offs like Hong Kong Bong, he used to play saxophone for an instrumental band we like very much called Soiled Mattress and the Springs. Sadly, they are no more; however we urge you to check out this mind-churner of a video for “Hong Kong Bong” (yes it’s the name of a song, too). Nowadays Matthew’s musical endeavors revolve around his solo project Ambergris, which takes its namesake from the intestinal lining of a whale. That’s all we’ll say for now, but if you want to know more about Mr. Thurber head to his site.
Which is your favorite Wild Thing and why?
I like “Wild Thing” by the Troggs because of its suspenseful use of silence. “Wild Thing” by Tone-Loc is not half bad either.
In addition to being a fantastic artist, you are also a musician who has taken part in some extremely unique and wonderful bands. If you were a monster, what bands would you listen to and which instrument would you play?
Hmmmmmm…. I would probably want to listen to the most monstrous music ever created. Therefore I’d probably listen to Japanese noise musicians like Masonna, Merzbow, and the Incapacitants, all of whom make music suitable for rocking monster babies to sleep. And don’t forget Destroy All Monsters. Also, probably some ultra-scary Wolf Eyes. Of course by the time they are in Kindergarten most monsters have probably been exposed to Caroliner, the greatest monster band of our times. What instrument? I’d probably play a bagpipe through a bunch of effects pedals.
Who is your favorite comic artist at the moment and why?
Carlos Gonzalez, who creates the comic book Slime Freak, is my fave right now. His storytelling has an incredible feeling, like a horror film found on VHS tape in a dream, with dense plotting and ever-mutating cast members. Like a hand covered with nectar touching you on the back of the neck… turning on the coffee maker.
Do you have a Halloween costume planned? What would be your dream Halloween costume (even if you were just making it for someone else) if you had unlimited funds?
No plan. I’d like to see a really good costume of one of the Hindu gods. For instance, if someone dressed as Durga, riding on a tiger, with eight arms, holding respectively a bow, a bell, a conch shell, a scimitar, a cup of wine, a spear, an arrow, and a shield, I’d be very excited this Halloween.
You write and illustrate the comic 1-800-MICE. If you ran a hotline with that number, what would happen when people dialed it?
I would say, feverish rodentine squeaking, too fast to be understood, but in reality, it’s not enough numbers. People would dial it and then just stare at the phone feeling silly.
Like many of the WTWTA mini-mag contributors you were featured in Kramers Ergot 7, which has seemed to garner quite a bit of attention over the last year. Do you feel that you share an aesthetic or interests with this particular set of artists?
I don’t think its a “set” of artists. Maybe by being in that anthology, the artists appear to be more unified than they are in real life. Kramers contains many of the artists I think are making great work in the comics medium. Some of them are my friends, and so I know I have some overlapping interests with them: people like Bald Eagles, Jesse McManus, Jason Miles. A lot of the unifying feeling has to do with the attempt at making more transporting, rewarding comics–pushing the medium. Or at least aspiring to make work as good as someone like (these are my personal heroes) Ben Katchor or Gary Panter. And a lot of artists in the anthology make other kinds of art besides just comics, which is something I feel kinship with.
How do you feel about Hollywood making a Where the Wild Things Are movie?
I’m interested to see how Spike Jonze stretched out a 20 page book into 1 1/2 hours of movie.
Would you rather eat Cheetos for the rest of your life in exchange for the ability to teleport or be paid $150,000 tomorrow to attend a 50-minute college-level course on the fallout from Y2K for every day for the rest of your life (if you miss one class prior to your death, you/your kin will owe the $150,000)?
Who’s teaching that class, the Unabomber? Sounds pretty great. I think the milennium is interesting so I’d probably opt for the class, because you never know what kind of cancer you can get from these new teleporting iPods.
